Ghana’s Kingsley Sarfo arrested for rape

Sweden-based midfielder Kingsley Sarfo's much-awaited debut for Ghana next week has been thrown into serious doubt after he was shockingly arrested on Saturday for allegedly having sex with a minor.

The 21-year-old was arrested in Malmo on Saturday on single-sourced allegation, damaging his chances of making his debut for the Black Stars in their crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier in Uganda.

He will be kept in custody by the Swedish police until Sunday when a decision is taken whether to extend the time he is held or released.

The Malmo midfielder has been dropped from the club's squad for Sunday's league match Ostersund with the top-flight saying the Ghana star has been left out 'personal reasons'.

Sarfo, who was and born and raised in Ghana to Ghanaian parents, was being courted by Sweden to play for their national team, having previously turned down the chance to play for the Black Stars.

But he fully committed himself to playing for Ghana last week when he confirmed his decision to opt for the Black Stars and was subsequently named in the squad to face Uganda next week.

Since confirming the decision to play for Ghana he has faced sustained attacks from the Swedish authorities and media which has proven to be an interesting coincidence.

On Friday, one of the biggest television stations in Sweden aired a documentary on the talented player driving a car without a license with the potential of him spending six months in jail.

Now the Malmo playmaker has been grabbed for a suspected case of having sex with a minor or a child which is tantamount to rape even if it was consensual.

He was asked to be detained on Saturday, suspected of having sex with a girl for about 15 years on more than one occasion.

"I can confirm that it is (Sarfo) him who is suspected. He has been arrested and now requested to be detained. I think there are likely reasons. He is suspected of rape against a child on more than one occasion, "said Rikard Darell, prosecutor, told a newspaper in Sweden. According to the prosecutor, it is not a matter of forced sex. "They have been familiar with each other," the prosecutor said when asked about the relationship between the two of them. The judicial review for Sarfo's case will continue on Sunday, when arrest talks are held at 11 o'clock Swedish time Sarfo's defense attorney Mikael Sundman has refused to comment. A Ghanaian player was recently jailed in Sweden for allegedly having raping his wife even though the player claimed it was a frame up. Several African players have been jailed in Sweden in the past over allegations of rape.

Courtesy of GHANAsoccernet.com - Ghana's leading football news website. Click for more news.